30 year old quarterback Alex Smith had agreed with the Kansas City Chiefs on a 4 year contract extension. Smith was traded to the Chiefs last offseason and had been hovering for a contract extension with the team. He has quite an admiration for Chief's coach Andy Reid and is excited to finally be a member of the franchise. Smith signed a $68 million extension Sunday to remain with the Chiefs through the 2018 season.
According to Chiefs general manager John Dorsey "It was a priority of ours to get this deal done and keep Alex in a Chiefs uniform long term. Alex is a proven leader on and off the field. He is a special individual with a lot of ability and we are fortunate to have him here."
Smith as well as his agent Tom Condon has been talking to the team for an extension and were hoping that they could land an agreement right before the season starts. The Chiefs will be opening against Tennessee next weekend and it seemed like a deal will not be made but the deal push through and it was well worth it.
Coach Reid said "John and his staff along with Tom and his group have worked hard to get this deal done. They've done a nice job. 'Alex is a smart, talented football player that has adapted well to our offensive scheme. He also, obviously, has had a tremendous amount of success as a quarterback in this league. We as a team are very happy to have Alex as our quarterback."
Smith joins a number of other quarterback who had just recently signed a long term contract with other teams. This includes Bengals' Andy Dalton and the 49ers' Colin Kaepernick.
According to Smith "'I feel good. I mean, I feel great. We got some good work, some things to learn from to get better, but I do - I do feel confident in what we're doing."
Smith believes that he can up his antics and do better this season. He added "It's always a progression. It's not like we've arrived anywhere. 'I mean, last year is a great example of where we started the season and where we ended it. Every season is like that."
"There are ups and downs along the way throughout the season, but you've got to continue to progress. You want to be playing your best football as the season goes on and into late in the year. So, you're never just at a place. You're always striving to be moving forward."
